God of inclusivity, it is heartbreaking that your name is used to justify violence and supremacy. Illuminate how these theologies of supremacy kill, and forgive those who subscribe to Christian Zionism, unaware of its consequences: “‘…for they do not know what they are doing…’” (Luke 23:34). Lord, as we call upon those who justify violence through the Christian faith, to repent, help us guard ourselves against the temptation of self-righteousness.
Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer
 | |
| Elsewhere |
"An estimated 60,000 US citizens live in settlements in the West Bank. Many are deeply ideological, inspired by extremist figures like Brooklyn-born Baruch Goldstein, who massacred 29 Palestinians in Hebron in 1994, and Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose party was designated a terror group in both the US and Israel. The justice department did not answer questions about whether it is considering any action against settlers who are US citizens.
An estimated 23,380 US citizens
serve in Israel’s armed forces, according to the Washington Post – a
figure the IDF did not confirm but probably includes both Americans
traveling to Israel for the purpose of service and Israeli-raised
soldiers holding dual citizenship." ... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/03/american-israeli-soldier-videos-detonation-homes-mosque-gaza
"The bad: I work at a school where I witnessed and participated in the freedom of speech being quashed by a small group of vocal and powerful parents. I teach Elie Wiesel’s “Night,” Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” and George Orwell’s “1984” and guide students to connect literature to current events. Last year, it was Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. This year, Israel and what continues to happen in Gaza. I asked: What qualifies as genocide? I said: Consider your tax dollars and your parents’ tax dollars and your teacher’s tax dollars that contribute to bombs falling from the sky on women and children and babies in Gaza. Not to think about that, I said, was bad."
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| A man wears a keffiyeh near the U.S. Capitol during a pro-Palestinian rally May 18, 2024, on the National Mall in Washington.(Jacquelyn Martin/AP) |
This is the part of summer break when I check my blood pressure at the community center and find out it has dropped enough so the machine no longer recommends that I consult my doctor Immediately. I have space and time to reflect. This last school year has provided me with three things to consider: the good, the bad and the ugly.
The good: My students showed up to classes with energy; they worked to achieve, with some joy, what their teacher required of them; and, by year’s end, each demonstrated they can read and write better, whether the topic is a boating accident that almost killed a person or a graphic novel about a girl growing up during the time of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. One of my students, a boy with dark curly hair and an offbeat sense of humor, stopped by my office to say, “Hey, Mr. Miller. I just want you to know I’m sorry about what’s been happening.” That relates to the ugly but is still part of the good — he showed care for his teacher and thought about complicated events for himself.... READ MORE https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/19/opinion-school-break-teaching-gaza-war/
Our taxes should not be funding any religion, bigotry, injustice, and/or escalating extremism of any type.
Please step away from your AIPAC advisors and start noticing the
very real plight and suffering of the Palestinian people.
Israel's war on Palestinians did not start in response to Hamas' barbaric attack on an Israeli music festival last year. It started decades ago, way back when worldwide obviously racist nations conspired with Zionist ideologues to push Jewish people into Palestine, as if a person's religion should dictate citizenship rights.
Since its founding in 1948 after the Nazi Holocaust, Israel has been systematically oppressing and displacing the native non-Jewish people of historic Palestine.
Hitler was not the only elected leader who believed in segregation and subjugation, America back then was very racist and unfair too. We know better now- America woke up and changed our laws and attitudes thanks to the Civil Rights Movement helping shape the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
America should not be ignoring Israel's brutality and blatant violations of international law and basic human rights.
If you want to empower non-violence and a more fair and just
political system anywhere you have to start with the rule of fair and just
laws, and you have to include respect for all sorts of people and
opinions.
Accusing peaceful pro-Palestine protesters here and there of
being "antisemitic" pleases Israel but it does not make any Jews
any safer anywhere. Not does it stop the escalating poverty and suffering in The Holy Land.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
NOTES https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes
Where, after all, do universal human rights begin?
The UN Mediator for Palestine, Count Folke Bernadotte, believed that the Palestinians displaced had a right to return to their homes and wrote several UN reports to that effect.
"It would be an offence against the principles of elemental justice if these innocent victims of the conflict were denied the right to return to their homes while Jewish immigrants flow into Palestine, and, indeed, at least offer the threat of permanent replacement of the Arab refugees who have been rooted in the land for centuries."
Bernadotte
was assassinated on Friday 17 September 1948 by members of the
group Lehi, a Zionist terrorist
organization, commonly known in the West as the Stern Gang
"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..." https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
The UN’s international court of justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories “as rapidly as possible” and make full reparations for its “internationally wrongful acts” in a sweeping and damning advisory opinion that says the occupation violates international law.
In a historic, albeit non-binding, opinion, the court found multiple breaches of international law by Israel including activities that amounted to apartheid.
It will make sobering reading for Israel’s allies, with the court advising that other states are under an obligation not to recognise the occupation as lawful nor to aid or assist it.
Reading the court’s opinion on Friday, the president of the ICJ, Nawaf Salam, said: “The court considers that the violations by Israel of the prohibition of the acquisition of territory by force and of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination have a direct impact on the legality of the continued presence of Israel, as an occupying power, in the occupied Palestinian territory.
“The sustained abuse by Israel of its position as an occupying power, through annexation and an assertion of permanent control over the occupied Palestinian territory and continued frustration of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, violates fundamental principles of international law and renders Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful.”
The opinion was provided in response to a request from the UN general assembly in 2022. It precedes the Gaza
conflict and is not directly linked to it but will add to the pressure
on Israel – and its allies – to bring an end to its military offensive,
in which it has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians, according to the
Gaza health ministry.... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/19/israels-settlement-policies-break-international-law-court-finds?CMP=share_btn_url
[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]
Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal, a form of apartheid, and must end, says the U.N.’s high court at The Hague.
The United Nation’s top court filed a ruling Friday that echoed what Palestinian advocates have been saying for decades: Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land, including its settlements in the West Bank, is illegal and must end.
The International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion also called for
reparations for Palestinians who have lived under Israel’s occupation
since it began in 1967, an unprecedented step for the court. The court
also notably declared Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinians to be a form
of segregation and apartheid. It further ruled that nations cannot
offer aid in support of the illegal occupation without violating
international law, and upheld the Palestinians’ right to
self-determination.
Advisory opinions from the ICJ are not
legally binding and cannot, in itself, force a country to act. But their
legal and moral weight can have significant influence on countries’
decisions and foreign policy.... READ MORE https://theintercept.com/2024/07/19/icj-ruling-palestine-israel-occupation-settlements/
[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]
Hanan Ashrawi
Biden’s lack of control over the current Gaza war risks putting him on the same level as Trump in the eyes of many activists, Keisling argued. Many see both candidates as complicit in genocide, and “if we’re arguing about who’s doing a worse one, we are too far gone,” Keisling said.
Dozens of protestors opposed to U.S. policy on Israel and Palestine greeted President Joe Biden as
he made a campaign stop in Swatara Township on Sunday afternoon –
although how much of an impact the issue will have on Biden’s electoral
chances remains to be seen.
Pro-Palestinian protestors line up across Derry Street from police in
riot gear shortly before President Joe Biden arrived for a campaign stop
on July 7, 2024.Zack Hoopes
Roughly 40 activists — organized by the Harrisburg Palestine Coalition — held signs and chanted along Derry Street as guests drove past to enter Biden’s event at the AFSCME Council 13 union hall.
“While
you’re driving, bombs are dropping,” protestors yelled at passing
attendees, often deriding the president as “genocide Joe.”... READ MORE https://www.pennlive.com/news/2024/07/protestors-confront-biden-with-calls-for-halt-of-military-aid-to-israeli-ceasefire-in-gaza.html
[AS
ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO
READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP
SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and
conversations) THAT EMPOWER
DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE &
PEACE... and hopefully
Palestine]
